contradictions or confirmations?

my tears 
               do not mean I am sad

my smile 
               does not guarantee I am happy

"I have joy" 
               does not mean I have no grief

"I am at rest" 
               does not mean I am not wrestling feelings or runaway thoughts

"I have hope" 
               does not mean darkness never tries to swallow me whole

"I have peace" 
               does not mean an absence of troubles and conflict

"I believe"
               does not mean I have no questions

"I trust" 
               does not mean I understand or agree with everything

"I know I am held"
               does not mean I am never lonely

"it is well with my soul" 
               does not mean there is no brokenness in me

these may appear to be contradictions
but they are not
they are truths
and they co-exist
without it being awkward
though I cannot explain it
except to say they are confirmations that God's spirit lives in me

it is well with my soul in spite of my brokenness, 
not because of anything I am able to do on my own, 
but because God makes it so